


There's No One Like You

by h_d



Category: Merlin (TV) RPF
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Body Worship, Declarations Of Love, Dirty Talk, Friends to Lovers, Introspection, M/M, POV Alternating, Rimming, Secret Relationship, Size Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2014-12-17
Packaged: 2018-03-01 21:01:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2787593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/h_d/pseuds/h_d
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bradley and Colin were friends with benefits.  Although they were in love, they both had their own reasons for not being honest with each other about their feelings.  Now, they've drifted apart.  When Colin visits Bradley in Los Angeles, neither of them knows whether they will fall into their old habits, or if their relationship will change into something new.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's No One Like You

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the [Merlin RPF](http://merlinrpf.livejournal.com/) Mini Bang. 
> 
> Thank you to alby_mangroves for hosting the fest!

When Bradley returns to his empty flat following his mid-morning jog, he takes a look at his mobile to check the texts and emails he missed while he was listening to his workout music. There are the usual messages from his LA friends: invitations to parties, excitement over auditions that went well, laments over auditions that didn't work out, and gossip that doesn't interest him much. None of these kinds of things are ever urgent enough for Bradley to delay his post-workout shower, and he's scrolling through them unenthusiastically on his way to the bathroom when he comes across something unexpected: an email from Colin.

__**From:** Cols  
 **To:** me  
 **Subject:** Visit? 

_Hey you. Do you have any free time next week? I'll be in LA. Want to show me around? I hear everyone's eating vegan lately, and you've no doubt been dragged to lots of bizarre restaurants. I'm sure it's been a burden for you to avoid your usual carnivorous fare, but I want in. Sound good? I arrive Monday afternoon._

Bradley scratches his head. Is the prospect of ubiquitous meatless, non-dairy menu options an actual motive for Colin to spend time with him, or is all that talk about food a pretext? He doesn't know, but he knows he wants to see Colin.

He undresses and gets in the shower.

It's been almost two years since the filming of _Merlin_ wrapped. He and Colin were good mates, and they probably always would be mates. But as their press obligations dwindled away, so did their closeness: the late nights spent just talking, the inside jokes, the hugs that Bradley enjoyed with all his friends, but which had somehow evolved into something more, with Colin. 

He remembers noticing how often Colin stared at his lips; one night, there was a pause in their easy conversation, and Bradley kissed him, softly. He was shocked at how passionately Colin responded. He's half-hard right now at the memory. 

At his first sight of Colin's cock, a few nights after that, Bradley was in awe. It was huge, both thicker and longer than his own, and it took Bradley months of stolen moments to learn how to use his mouth and his hands in tandem to bring Colin off. What's the point of knowledge like that, Bradley wonders now, when the person you've studied so avidly is no longer a part of your life? 

He misses so much about Colin: his eyes turning into half-moons when he's truly amused, his incredibly dorky and unfettered laugh, his dimples. He misses petting the beard that Colin grew between seasons. He wants to kiss the hollow of Colin's throat again, to lift Colin onto his lap and peel away his layered shirts until they're tossed aside, along with the barrier Colin puts up between himself and the rest of the world. He knows he's not the first person to have had sex with Colin, but sometimes he feels he's the only person who's ever truly seen Colin naked. He's always recognised it as a great privilege.

Bradley never imagined sex with a man before Colin, but he wouldn't mind outing himself as bisexual, even to the press, if necessary. None of that really matters to Bradley.

What matters is that since Colin, Bradley hasn't imagined sex with anyone else at all. He's not pining; he's not even unhappy. He's just celibate. He channels his sexual frustration into exercise. He knows he'll meet someone else someday; he'll make another friend he can love and fuck and fall in love with, and it will probably be in that order next time, too. Sex without attachments never did have much appeal for him.

A small part of Bradley, the voice inside his head that sometimes grows loud when he's alone, wonders if he ever will care about anyone else the way he cares about Colin. Bradley always knew that Colin's career was the most important thing to him, so he tried never to show Colin the depth of his emotions, even though he wanted to keep Colin close forever.

If they'd ever given the public a real reason to believe they were together, there would have been questions, and Bradley wasn't sure if Colin wanted to answer them. They often ate in restaurants together, and when Bradley wanted to tangle his feet with Colin's under the table, he'd instead locked both ankles around the legs of his own chair. 

Bradley's never regretted their time together, maybe because he's never been devastated that it seems to be over. But he's not going to pass up an opportunity to recapture their bond, even if it might be in a different form now. If Colin simply wants Bradley's company at LA's restaurants, Bradley will enjoy every minute of every meal.

When Bradley finishes showering, he looks at Colin's email again and notices that it was sent over five hours ago. He grabs his phone and perches on the edge of his bed to reply.

__**From:** me  
 **To:** Cols  
 **Subject:** re: Visit? 

_I'd love to see you. I hope you don't have a hotel booked. My flat here is quite nice, for LA, and also rather spacious. You're right in that it is a great city for dining, even for _omnivores_ like myself, although I'm not overly fond of living here in other ways. I've missed you very much. I'll text you my address separately so you're sure to have it. Take a taxi to my place._

Bradley spends a little while making a list of restaurants nearby that might be of interest, even looking at their menus online to make sure they have suitable options for Colin. He doesn't know if Colin has a work-related reason to visit the city, or if there are other people here with whom he might like to spend time. He'll just have to see.

Colin's reply arrives in about an hour.

__**From:** Cols  
 **To:** me  
 **Subject:** re: Visit? 

_Okay then. I'm looking forward to seeing you, too. I'll text you when my flight lands. If it's not too much trouble, maybe you could pick me up some of that American peanut butter? I was planning to make a stop on my way to the hotel, but if you don't mind feeding my addiction, I'll be very grateful._

Bradley smiles at that. Only Colin would refer to such an innocent craving as an addiction.

That weekend, Bradley heads to the small neighbourhood shop that's become his favourite, primarily because the cashiers neither know nor care about the identity of any of their customers, and the clientele is generally too elderly to have any idea who Bradley is. He optimistically buys condoms and lube, as well as the requested peanut butter. When he returns to his flat, he makes up the guest room, but he hopes Colin won't use it.

\----------

When Colin thinks about Bradley, it's with a lot of sadness. He doesn't know where his head was. _That's the trouble; your head wasn't really involved, or at least not the one on your shoulders,_ he often thinks morosely.

And that was certainly part of it, he knows. Bradley loves to joke about not being able to understand Colin's accent at their first meeting, but the truth was that Colin always slipped more deeply into his most familiar speech patterns when confronted with gorgeous strangers. He's still surprised he was able to speak to Bradley that day at all. Bradley was powerful, masculine, a blond god of a man. 

Colin's never had any personal angst over being gay, but he'd also, until that point, avoided one of the worst gay clichés: developing feelings for a straight guy. When it became apparent that Bradley's charms extended beyond his appearance to a wonderful sense of humour, a diverse and interesting set of hobbies, and a genuine friendliness, Colin knew he was in very big trouble indeed. Bradley's habit of casually slinging an arm (or once, distressingly, a _leg_ ) around him sealed Colin's fate, and for a long time he felt sure he was in for a miserable working experience.

And then, Bradley had kissed him. Colin can still remember, even now, that first hesitant brush of lips, Bradley giving him time to reject him, as though Colin ever could. No, Colin kissed him back forcefully, using his mouth, tongue, and teeth to express all the longing that had been building up inside him. If Bradley wanted him for any reason, no matter what it was, Colin was completely on board.

But their connection had never moved beyond friendship and discreet sexual encounters. Colin knows now that sex with him was just an experiment for Bradley. Bradley never talked about coming out or going public with their relationship, and no one else had even been aware of it. 

Colin suspects Richard and Tony guessed, but they were, of course, far too gentlemanly to ever mention it.

His original email to Bradley had been sincere. When he found out that he needed to travel to LA for an audition, he decided to reach out to him, in the way that a mate might. He hadn't expected Bradley's enthusiastic reply. 

_I suppose Bradley's experiment isn't over, then_ , he thinks, as the plane begins its descent into LAX. _Or more likely, he just wants to hang out as friends._ Just like before, though, he finds that he doesn't want to say no to any of it, even though he knows that he probably should.

At the airport, Colin buys a tube of Chapstick and applies it, feeling ridiculous. When he knocks on the door, Bradley opens it immediately and pulls him into one of his full-body hugs. _It doesn't necessarily mean anything_ , Colin reminds himself. _That's just the way he is._

But Bradley doesn't pull away; he squeezes hard and places a quick kiss on the side of Colin's neck. Colin shivers and allows his arms to stroke Bradley's back, and then Bradley's mouth has moved to his.

It's just as good as it was before. No one else has ever kissed Colin this way, unhurried and sweet. With the men he knew before Bradley, kissing and even sex were sometimes battles, both parties fighting for control and rushing towards orgasm. But Bradley's kisses and touches have always been gentle, often making Colin feel soft and fuzzy; his grip on Bradley now is not so much an expression of affection as it is a means of keeping himself standing upright.

Bradley finally pulls back and licks his own lips. "Mm, cherry-flavoured lip balm. I like it," he says.

Colin grins and dives back in for another kiss, and Bradley's hands skate under his shirt.

"I made up the guest room for you. I wasn't sure where you'd prefer to be," Bradley says softly, against Colin's lips. 

It seems a safe assumption that Bradley's still up for sex, if nothing else. Why would he give Colin the option to sleep elsewhere? It's true they've never slept in the same bed, but Colin had assumed that emerging from separate hotel rooms in the mornings was just another way of keeping the sexual side of their relationship a secret. Colin doesn't know what to make of Bradley's offer, so he decides to fall back on their usual banter. 

"I prefer access to your lovely arse, although I suppose we don't really need a bed for that," Colin says, cupping one fleshy cheek in his hand. 

Bradley throws his head back and laughs. "I think we might. Come on, follow me," he says, and heads down a long hall.

Bradley's flat is larger than anywhere Colin's lived, but he's far too interested in the prospect of spending time in Bradley's nude company again to even look around. He grabs his rucksack and carries it, depositing it inside the door of Bradley's bedroom.

Bradley's already in the midst of stripping, and Colin joins him. It's been a long time; he's been propositioned often in the past two years, but he's just shrugged and turned everyone down. Any other man would have just been a disappointment.

When Colin removes his trousers and pants, his hard cock springs up, and he presses a palm to it to take the edge off his arousal. Bradley is spread out on the bed, face down and naked arse in the air. Colin's mouth drops open. Bradley has always enjoyed sex, but this display of need is on another level. Bradley's fisting his cock slowly.

"Come on," Bradley says. "Everything you need is in the nightstand."

Colin opens it to find not only a brand-new bottle of lube, but also his own favourite brand of condoms. He smiles. If Bradley has been entertaining others in the recent past, there's no evidence to be seen here.

He kneels behind Bradley and squeezes his arse with both hands. It's round and soft, the nicest arse he's ever seen.

"Lovely," Colin murmurs. "I've missed this."

The side of Bradley's face is pressed to the pillow and he's watching Colin with bright eyes and a trusting smile. "Me too."

"Yes, so you said," Colin replies, slowly running a finger between the plump cheeks. He doesn't miss Bradley's quick inhale when he brushes against his hole.

"No, I said I missed _you_ ," Bradley says. "Different thing." His expression hasn't changed; when their eyes meet, Colin smiles back at him. 

For the first time, Colin allows himself to think that maybe he's been wrong about the nature of their relationship. He coats the fingers of one hand in lube and teases a fingertip inside, bringing forth a gasp from Bradley and feeling his own cock twitch. With his other hand, he continues stroking the soft skin of Bradley's arse.

"Alright?" Colin asks.

"Yes, keep going," Bradley says. He's starting to look blissed out, his eyes nearly closed and his smile lazy and satisfied, though no less happy.

Colin thrusts a little with his finger, and Bradley instantly pushes back until Colin's finger is all the way inside. Bradley's hot and tight, and warmth suffuses all the way through Colin's body from that single point of contact. Oh, how he loves to be inside Bradley, in any way that he can.

Colin peeks at Bradley's face to find his eyes now closed and his mouth open, looking like he's completely lost to sensation. Colin returns to Bradley's hole and inserts another finger, slowly, eliciting a delicious moan from Bradley. Colin bends forward and licks around Bradley's rim, at the same time curling his fingertips to rub against Bradley's prostrate. Bradley yelps in surprise and continues making loud, plaintive noises. 

"Shh," Colin says, petting Bradley's arse again. "Let me take care of you."

Colin really doesn't want to make Bradley wait, but the last thing Colin wants is to hurt him with his huge cock, so he takes his time stretching and opening him up. He pulls his face away and gently works in a third and then a fourth finger. 

Bradley's fucking back against his hand with complete abandon, and Colin's mouth falls open again at the picture Bradley makes, at the feel of all that heat. Bradley's so responsive, so physical. 

Colin pulls out his fingers to put on the condom, and Bradley makes a small sound of frustration. Colin steadies Bradley's hips with both his hands. "Ready for me?" he asks. "You want it like this, or something else?"

"Yes, like this, just get in me," Bradley pants out, pushing back against Colin's hold, seeking out Colin's cock.

Colin grasps the base of his cock and lodges just the head inside. Bradley moves back quickly and takes in as much as he can from that angle, and Colin slams forward until he's buried inside all the way. Bradley yells wordlessly, then uses the leverage of his well-muscled arms to push back against Colin. 

It's what Colin's been craving, this connection to the man who feels like home to him. He drapes himself over Bradley's back, caressing the underside of his neck with his fingertips. He doesn't move his lower body; he kisses the top of Bradley's spine, rests his face there, soaks up Bradley's warmth. 

Bradley clenches around him once, deliberately, and Colin gets the unspoken message. Colin moves his hands to Bradley's hips and drives out and back into him as hard as he can a few times, then with less force, until he builds up a medium rhythm that he knows won't drive him over the edge too soon. 

It's better than it's ever been, fucking Bradley in Bradley's own flat, where they can cry out as loudly as they want to without worrying about their fellow cast members sleeping behind a hotel's paper-thin walls, and Colin doesn't want it to end. 

He angles his hips, aiming for Bradley's prostate, and Bradley lets out another wordless cry when Colin finds it. 

"So good, so good for me," Colin babbles. "I missed you. I thought of you every night, I wanted to call, wanted just to hear your voice. Did you think of me?"

He hopes, faintly, that Bradley won't answer, that he'll dismiss his words as simple dirty talk, even though Colin means every word, but Colin is so lost in his own pleasure that he's almost forgotten to be afraid.

"All the time," Bradley breathes out, his voice thick with emotion. He reaches back and squeezes Colin's hand with his own. "Thought of you all the time."

It's an intimate gesture, tender enough for Colin to let himself imagine that sex isn't a once-in-awhile thing for them, that he gets to sleep next to Bradley all the time, that there isn't anyone else, that there will never be anyone else. 

"You feel so fucking good around me. Want to fill you up, watch my come drip out of you, every night, every morning," Colin says, lost in his fantasies.

"Yes, yes," Bradley moans. "Touch me, I'm so close."

Colin reaches a hand around Bradley's body and grasps his cock, fisting it in rhythm with his thrusts. It only takes a few strokes before Bradley comes on Colin's hand and pulses around Colin's cock, sending Colin into white-hot pleasure.

Bradley collapses into his pillow, and Colin rests his head between Bradley's shoulder blades, catching his breath. He could stay here forever, he thinks, make worshipping Bradley his only goal in life. He rubs his hands down Bradley's arms until he finds his hands and clutches them. 

"Mmm," Colin says. "Was it alright?" He thinks he knows the answer, but he wants to hear it.

"It was amazing, Cols," Bradley says, with a solemnity in his voice Colin can't recall ever hearing before. "We're amazing together."

Colin's heart gives a little kick at that, and he doesn't know how to reply. 

"We should probably clean up, though. Want to take a bath with me? You're going to love my bathtub," Bradley says. 

Colin grins and agrees.

\----------

Bradley climbs inside the large, claw-footed bathtub which stands separate from his shower. The bathroom fixtures had definitely been one of the selling points of this flat. He loves soaking in the tub on his own, but he's never shared it with anyone else, although he's often thought about Colin joining him.

"Come on, Cols, no need to be shy," he says, when he notices Colin has finished washing his hands and cleaning his teeth, yet is still standing near the sink, staring at Bradley with wide eyes as he washes the come off his chest and stomach. 

Colin chuckles self-consciously, shrugs, and steps into the tub. Bradley manhandles Colin until Colin's back is against Bradley's front, but Colin seems stiff and awkward; it surprises Bradley, who's nearly always pliant after sex. Bradley rubs Colin's chest slowly until Colin has relaxed, at least a little. 

Bradley folds his hands together just under Colin's sternum. He didn't know if he'd ever have Colin in his arms again, and now that he finally does, he intends to savour it. They sit in easy silence for a long while.

"You're probably a bit jet-lagged, right?" Bradley asks. "We can get some takeaway later on, if you want to take a nap after this. Head out for lunch tomorrow." 

"Maybe we could—" Colin starts.

Colin's comforting weight and the heat of the bath, in addition to their earlier activities, have Bradley feeling loose and content. He strokes Colin's wet, hairy chest again.

"What's that, Cols?" he asks.

There's a long pause before Colin replies.

"It wasn't just the heat of the moment that made me say those things," Colin says carefully.

"I didn't think it was," Bradley says. He drops a light kiss to the back of Colin's ear.

"I want to ask you something, alright?" Colin says, then takes a deep breath and continues without waiting for permission. "I don't know how you feel about it, and listen, it's fine with me if you aren't interested. We'll always be mates, no matter what. But if you want, we could, erm, we could go on a date tomorrow." 

Bradley's drowsy eyes snap completely open. He turns Colin's head a little so he can look at the expression there. Colin's blinking a lot, avoiding Bradley's gaze. 

"What sort of date?" Bradley asks, as gently as he can, trying to be careful not to spook Colin. 

"Erm," Colin begins, and Bradley can feel the rumble of his voice through his own body. Colin laughs, not a real laugh, but a nervous titter. "You know. Holding hands, kissing, that sort of thing. If you want." 

"I do want that," Bradley says. "I always have. I just didn't want to pressure you."

Colin's eyes flicker to his, then away. He makes a small sound of acknowledgement.

"We might be recognized, though. It's not like you can wear your magic beanie of invisibility in August in LA," Bradley says. 

"It'll be good publicity to be seen, I think," Colin says. He still sounds hesitant.

Bradley studies Colin's profile. A fiery hope is burning away the fog of his languor, and he wonders if Colin's really saying what Bradley's been wanting him to say for so long.

"Is that what you want, though?" Bradley asks.

"It's really up to you, Bradley. I thought you just weren't sure about me, about being seen with a man," Colin says quietly.

"Of course I'm sure about you, Cols," Bradley says, and leans to nuzzle at Colin's neck, not kissing, just rubbing his nose and mouth gently against the skin.

"You're like a puppy," Colin says, with a much more genuine laugh. "Come on, we can do that in bed. Let's get out before the water turns cold."

"Ah yes, wouldn't want to harm your delicate constitution," Bradley teases.

Colin barks out a surprised laugh. "Shut the fuck up," he tells Bradley, affectionate and light. He gets out of the tub, and Bradley follows him, handing Colin a towel and grabbing one for himself.

"I'd like it if you slept in my bed. Is that okay?" Bradley asks, hoping that Colin will say yes. Sleeping in the same bed is something they've never done. He wants to fall asleep holding Colin, but he realises he doesn't know if Colin likes to cuddle. Bradley decides that it doesn't matter, as his bed is easily big enough for two people to sleep without even touching.

Colin's eyes glimmer with mischief as he nods slowly. Bradley wonders what plans are forming in that deliciously filthy mind.

They quickly dry off and get into the bed. 

"This bed is fucking enormous. You could fit three more people in here," Colin says.

Bradley turns to face him and nudges Colin until he rolls over on his side, too. Bradley looks into his eyes.

"What would I do with three more people?" Bradley asks. "I don't want anyone else. Just you." He sees a faint blush spread on Colin's cheeks and traces a pink cheekbone with his finger, watches Colin's long eyelashes as he blinks and looks down.

"Such fine words. I knew I loved you for more than your pretty arse," Colin whispers. 

Colin scoots forward, wraps his arm around Bradley's waist, and tucks his head under Bradley's chin. "I love you too," Bradley whispers back.

"Glad to hear it," Colin says. 

Colin's hair is tickling Bradley a little, but he doesn't mind. He holds Colin close and lets the sound of Colin's deep, even breaths carry him off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> As a peanut-butter-addicted vegetarian myself, I definitely didn't intend to disparage lactose-intolerant vegetarians, vegans, or fans of delicious peanut butter. I think Colin really just needed an excuse to contact Bradley.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
